New Indian Actresses Join Majidi’s Film

According to the latest updates about Iranian auteur Majid Majidi’s new film which is currently being shot in Mumbai, two new Indian actresses have joined the cast.

Theater actress Malavika Mohanan is playing the female lead role and the veteran actress GV Sharada has been cast for a crucial role as well, Times of India reported.

Talking about her joining the cast, Sharada said, “I am so glad to be making my comeback after 15 years for a director, who I consider as a cinematic master. I am extremely thrilled and looking forward to working with such a phenomenal team - both artists and technicians”.

Titled ‘Beyond the Clouds’, the movie is described as a beautiful story centered on a brother-sister relationship. No more details have been given yet.

The movie has Ishaan Khatter (younger brother of popular actor Shahid Kapoor) playing the male lead. It is his debut film.

In an interview with DNA India daily, Majidi explained his preferences in casting a newcomer like Ishan Khattar instead of working with mainstream actors. “In my films, I pick up people randomly from the actual habitat, people who may have never seen the lens of a camera, they come out as natural actors and I get the maximum out of them,” he said.

This is the first time Majidi is working on a film outside Iran. He has found global acclaim for his previous movies ‘Muhammad: The Messenger of God’ (2015), ‘The Color of Paradise’ (1999) and ‘Children of Heaven’ (1997). As he said, all the cast and crew of the Hindi/English film are from India except for two people, one of them is his interpreter.

Speaking about his interest in Indian movies, Majidi said, “I have watched Indian cinema since a very young age. Over the years, I felt closeness to Satyajit Ray (1921-1992, an Indian filmmaker widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of the 20th century) and his movies and the persona he carried as a human being. Many years ago, I made my acquaintance with Shyam Benegal (screenwriter and filmmaker) as well. I have seen him and his work. I have also met Mrinal Sen (contemporary filmmaker of Ray)”.

Majidi’s films usually depict the innocence of children and grown-ups learning from them how to really live. “When I connect myself with children, I feel they play a vital role in building a character in adults. My overall experience has been that a particular cleanliness of the soul of a child, the originality that comes through, helps me envisage, create and build something in a very original manner,” Majidi underlined.

The music for the film is composed by Oscar winner musician A.R. Rahman who collaborated with Miajidi in ‘Messenger’.